The joint campaign day organised by the university, DKMS, the German Red Cross, WSZE and DSO was a resounding success: 109 people were registered as potential donors and 55 gave blood.
It is common knowledge that blood and stem cells can save lives. However, people are often reluctant to donate. The result is a shortage of supplies. Furthermore, for evolutionary reasons, people have different blood groups and also face varying risks of disease. Blood groups depend on a person’s region of origin and can differ significantly from those of people from Europe or Asia Minor. Consequently, it has become necessary to expand blood stocks with compatible units, particularly as North Rhine-Westphalia is home to a higher-than-average number of people from diverse backgrounds. This is one of the reasons why Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences is stepping in. As an international university with students and staff from a wide variety of countries, it makes sense to organise a campaign day to encourage blood donation and stem cell typing. In this way, donors can help to fill the gaps.
In collaboration with the DKMS (German Bone Marrow Donor Register), the DRK (German Red Cross), the WSZE (West German Donor Centre) and the DSO (German Organ Transplantation Foundation), Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences organised an awareness day on its Kleve campus. At dedicated stands, the organisations provided information about their work, gave talks and organised a series of activities. Particularly moving was the personal account of a man who had suffered from blood cancer and made a full recovery following a stem cell transplant. The effort paid off: 109 people underwent stem cell typing, and 55 donated blood. “We would like to express our sincere thanks to everyone who, through their participation, made the awareness day such a success. We also view initiatives such as this within the context of social responsibility as a university committed to sustainability,” said Dr Heide Naderer, President of Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences. And Heinz Lippe, Fire Safety and First Aid Officer, who organised the campaign day on behalf of the university, added: “We are more than satisfied with the campaign day. The response actually exceeded our expectations.”
